Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-08
HIS LOVE OF LONG AGO.
A Somewhat Rude Awakening TO Dresr
OF Fond Romance

Chicago Herald.
Years ago in his native village. i,
wealthy German living in this city had
sweetheart to whom he was devotedly e.
/ taChed. But e tide of emigration landed
him when q young man in America 4
false friend brought him news tina. his
/ Lena was engaged 20 another. In p!qrs
/ he married the handsome daughter Of ais
employer. In due time he entered t5s
/ firm, and, later on, had the bushes,
/ to himself, making 9 fortune. 70,
ten happy years everything prOspered
/ His wife was g beauty, md dsf
g dozen handsome children blessed
+ their union. The only cloud that dimme5
! the fathers horizon WAS the knowled=s
I that Lena had never been faise-that tie
report of her engagement was untrue.
! and IL her fathers mouse, unmarried sli
disCOnsOlate, the sweetheart of MS youth
/ lived alone. However, q year or more
( ago, by 8 sudden and fatal illness, the
wife was laid low, and our friend found
himself q TidOWer with six children
Rich, respectable, model citizen s1i
personally & lne-IOokIng man, ne was he
object of many sOlicitOus attentions 4
dozen lovely women If MS Acquaintance
/ looked at their autographs and though.
how well his name would come in at ths
end of them. But as soon
as he began 10 think OF such things
the image of Lena, his sweet ,hsNeu haired
Marguerite, came in, and, after year;
deCCrOus mourning, ne wrote to GermsuY
and proposed that if she could forgive his
readiness TO be deceived in the past, a1i
would bridge the twelve years of seeming
Indifference with her enduring love, tle7
should renew the love of their youth
Back came the response. Lens the faith.
full, Lena the constant, would take to he
sea per next boat. The WidOwer witt
drew to his library, day after day, szt
thought up the past, famed each little
recollection till it sprSng into flame and
when finally the FuIda was in the bay IL
started for the wharf.
In the first communication with Lens
after his gOOd-IOOking Wite'S deCease, hs
had dWelt much on the need ms little
children had Of mothers tender care.
In succeeding epistles he let the children
down one by one till their names were
never heard. His first intention was 70
be waiting on the wharf with Rache,.
Leah and Sarah or one side, and Abe.
Sol and Isaac on the other, but when the
day came ne had arrived at another con-
clusiOn. He discarded mourning suit.
and In q jaunty rig of Saratoga blue and
light hat the WidOWer paced with best.ug
heart the confines of the wharf till the
gang plank was run out. CATER az,
he said to himself, "there's nothing st.Ts
the pulses like first lOYe-the same sW5s 3.
passion of youth puts the inefscea5.5
brand on the human heart" He was
about to clasp the early Marguerite w..1
the dOve-lke eyes and the faXen brG-ds
to his weIl-deveIoped bosom.
Our widoTer, as ne have said, was
handsome. No thread of gray lst
touched mis- raven CurIs. His eyes were
undimmed, his complexion good, and
best of all, he had kept his waist. Buoy
ant with excitement ne plOWed into tie
ship. To the steWarGess he said. "IJ-
have Miss Lena Strauss on bOardt"
"Oh, yes; FrauIeIn Strauss has beer
i'll, but she is dressed and up. Step t1.s
way"
How he stepped! There were sewers.
ladies on the sofas of the saloon To
one of these the stewardess led hin.
"YOur friend has come, Miss Strauss
said she.
a pudgy, doughy- faced, heayy-looki1-
woman, whose figure resembled an
more than any other, rose with little
squeal Of Joy and cast herself upon az
bosom. Lena had been q fairy. She
was IS broad as she was long. Leua's
hair had been bright, and so luxuriaE:
that her Marguerite braids were as thick
as his wrist. Lena's stock of hairs hard
ly covered her pretuberant temples, ant
was dirty ash color. Lena in 10 md
been fragile poem in petticoats; Lera
in '87 was q churn with q bonnet OF.
Who shall depict the cyclone of disap-
pOintment that swept over the widower's
soul? But the poor man was as brave
and chiYalric spirit as ever went out 20
do battle in Palestine. He took hs-
home. and according to agreement, be
married her.